User blog:SPARTAN 119/Deadliest War Machine: Da Vinci's "Tank" vs Helepolis
The tank-like vehicle designed by Leonardo Da Vinci in the 1500s, 400 years before the first tanks saw the battlefield VS The Helipolis, the gigantic siege tower known as "The Taker of Cities". Only one can be the DEADLIEST WAR MACHINE!! =Combatants= Da Vinci's Tank Among the many designs found in 15th-century artist and inventor Leonardo Da Vinci's notebooks was a combat vehicle similar to a modern tank. The vehicle was armed with a battery of cannon mounted along the side of the vehicles circular body, and had a top "sighting turret for aiming the guns and steering the "tank". The vehicle moved on four wheels powered by a human-powered crank system. Interestingly, the design in Da Vinci's notebook is mechanically flawed- the crank system is such that the gears would rotate against each other, making movement impossible. It is widely believed that Da Vinci intentionally sabotaged his design, as he was a pacifist at heart. The vehicle was armored with steel plates Helepolis The Helepolis was a massive siege tower designed by Polyidus of Thessaly in the 300s BC. The seige tower was 130 feet wide and 60 feet tall, clad in iron plates, with an armament of several catapults, most firing 30 kg projectiles, though there was one four 60 kg catapults and two 180 kg catapults on the lower floors. The tower also had four light ballistae on top. The tower was powered by 200 men operating a crank and over 3000 men pushing from behind. The vehicle was capable of forward, reverse, and sideways movement, but could not "steer". The Helepolis met its downfall when it got stuck in a patch of mud at the Siege of Rhodes in 305 BC. The Rhodians won the siege and sold the iron plates and catapults in the Helepolis off after the battle and used the profits the construct the Colossus of Rhodes, a bronze statue that was later listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. =Weapons= Primary Armamnent Cannon Battery (Da Vinci's "Tank") Cannon of Da Vinci's era would have been mostly muzzle loading weapons, meaning in ships, or in the case of Da Vinci's tank, they would have to be retracted back into the vehicle to reload. Da Vinci's tank carried a battery of guns that ran all around the vehicle, so it could fire in any direction. For the purposes of this match, the weapon will have a range of about 500 meters Catapult Battery (Helepolis) The Helepolis had a battery of catapults on the weapon, firing out of ports. The weapons were likely large ballistae or onagers (torsion catapults), firing stones with a range of, for the purposes of this match, 500 meters for the lighter 30 kg ballistae and 250 meters for the heavy 60 and 120 kg catapults. The weapons were located in fixed positions in the front of the tower, with the heavy catapults the lower levels and the lighter ones on the upper levels. 119's Edge Da Vinci's tank's Cannon for their 360-degree firing arc and because the ballistae on the upper levels would probably fire over the "tank", effecitively eliminating some of the Helepolis' firepower. Secondary Armament Matchlock Musket (Da Vinci Tank) The matchlock musket is an early firearm fired using a slow-burning cord or "match" the was placed against a touchhole using a spring loaded mechanism activated by a simple trigger. The matchlock was most effective when fired in volleys at relatively close ranges, where it proved effective at piercing even plate armor. The weapon had a maximum range of about 50 yard against a single human target, and about 75 yards against a group of targets. At least for the purpose of this match, it will be possible to fire a matchlock out of the observation ports on the "tank". Light Ballista (Helepolis) The Helepolis carried a four light ballistae firing spear-like bolts on movable mounts on top of the vehicle, capable of being aimed accurately at defenders on the walls. The weapons will have, for the purpose of this match, a range of about 250 meters. 119's Edge The Helopolis' Light Ballista for its superior range and accuracy. =X-Factors= =Battle= The Helepolis rolled towards a castle gate, firing its catapults and ballistae as it went. Out from the castle gate rolled out Da Vinci's "Tank". The tank slowly moved towards the Helepolis as a number of large rocks landed around it, one of them missing only by inches. The "Da Vinci Tank" returned fire with its front cannons, but the balls bounced off the steel plates of the front of the Helepolis. As the two siege engines got closer to each other, two of the ballistae on top of the Helepolis fired. The bolts pierced the armor of the "tank", one of them killing a man inside the "tank", but the war machine kept moving. A soldier in the upper observation turret fired a matchlock musket out of one of the view ports, hitting an ballista operator on the top of the Helepolis, killing him. The "tank" kept moving forwards, firing it battery of cannon into the side of the Helepolis's wheels. It took a few hits, but soon, the wheels on one side were blown apart or dislodged as the axles were destroyed. The supports on one side being blown out from under it, the Helepolis fell to one side like a felled tree, breaking apart with a thunderous crashing sound as it hit the ground. '''WINNER: Da Vinci's "Tank" Category:Blog posts